Dr. Christine Andrews-Larson

Dr. Christine Andrews-Larson is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education in the College of Education at Florida State University. Her research is part of a large and growing body of work linking “active learning” in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to greater rates of student success and learning. In its current form in the research literature, “active learning” is defined too broadly to be replicable as a classroom intervention, and the ways in which certain forms of active learning impact the experiences and outcomes of particular groups remains an open question. By working in the context of a more narrowly defined form of active learning, known as inquiry-oriented instruction (IOI), Dr. Andrews-Larson explores nuances linking particular forms of instruction with student outcomes, the replicability and scalability of these forms of instruction, and the way in which such instruction may benefit or marginalize particular groups of students.

Dr. Andrews-Larson’s work is broadly structured around three interrelated foci. First, she studies student reasoning and instructional design that leverages that reasoning (e.g., in the context of inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction). Her work in this area has appeared in journals such as For the Learning of Mathematics, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, Computer Science Education, and PRIMUS. Second, she studies supports for instructors to productively elicit and build on student reasoning. Her work in this area has been featured in journals such as Teachers College Record, The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, and Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. Finally, she is interested in exploring issues of equity, particularly regarding ways in which inquiry-oriented instructional approaches may provide different kinds of learning experiences and outcomes for different groups of students. Her work in this area has been featured in the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education and the International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education. Much of Dr. Andrews-Larson’s work has been conducted in the area of undergraduate linear algebra. She has co-edited a Springer volume Challenges and Strategies in Teaching Linear Algebra as well as a special issue of Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik (ZDM Mathematics Education) focused on the teaching and learning of linear algebra.

Dr. Andrews-Larson’s work has been funded by the National Science foundation; you can learn more about some of these funded projects by clicking the links below:

• NSF Grant #1431393, “Collaborative Research: Teaching Inquiry-Oriented Mathematics: Establishing Supports” ($245,996). Principal Investigator (PI) 2014-2019. https://times.math.vt.edu/
• NSF Grant #1439763, “Preparing and Supporting Equitable Teaching in Mathematics and Science Classrooms: The FSU-Teach Noyce Program” ($796,734). Co-PI 2014-2016. https://fsu-teach.fsu.edu/robert-noyce-scholarship
• NSF Grant #1640039, “A Study of the Curriculum Design for Integration of Middle School Mathematics and Computer Science” ($1,113,591). Co-PI 2016-present. https://csimms.cs.fsu.edu/
• NSF Grant #1914793, “Extending Inquiry-Oriented Linear Algebra” ($149,947). PI 2019-present. https://iola.math.vt.edu/

Dr. Andrews-Larson has taught a wide variety of mathematics and education courses in university and community college settings. These include math content courses (e.g. Pre-algebra, College Algebra, Math for Liberal Arts, Business Calculus, Engineering Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Functions & Modeling), courses for primary and secondary mathematics and science pre-service teachers (e.g. Elementary Math Methods, Field Experiences for Elementary Math and Science, Number Systems in Elementary Mathematics, Mathematics for Middle Grades, Educational Psychology, Knowing and Learning, Project-Based Instruction), and graduate courses in education (e.g. Mathematics Teacher Education, Mathematics Learning & Teaching). She was the recipient of the Florence Black Excellence in Teaching Award, awarded by the University of Kansas Department of Mathematics in 2004.

Dr. Andrews-Larson was trained as a post-doctoral research fellow funded by the Institute of Education Sciences in Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School of Education. She earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Kansas, and her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction: Mathematics Education and Educational Psychology: Learning Sciences from Indiana University.